Aeroplane



244-48 SR .Hmmm m2 1, 347,952 I :u: l my Il B.Hoon.

4 AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3, I9I9.

I l l 1,347,952, Patented July 27, 1920.

'I 2 SHEETS-SHEET IT l R cf I I a v u =r w N ea W A QQ Inventor. I BUNT HOOD I By Q6@ jm NM Attorney.

' Patented July 27, 1920.

2 SHEETs-SHEET 2.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I3, I9I9 244. AERONAUTICS lnventr. BUNT' HOOD A ttqrney.

244'. ARONAUTICS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1920.

Application filed February 13, 1919. Serial No. 276,724.

To all whom it may conce/m.'

Be it known that I, BUNT HOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Muscogee and State of Gre-orgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in aeroplane construction, and the object is to increase, in a heavier than air craft, the lifting and carrying capacity of the craft without increasing the area of the supporting surfaces or planes, and to utilize, particularly in the tractor type of machine, the increased fluid pressure in the current produced by the propeller.

While, generally, it is old to dispose sustaining wings or planes in the path of the Huid stream set up by the propeller, the present invention aims to so dispose the sustaining planes and to so mount the same that the lifting and carrying capacity is increased and a better control is had of the general movements and actions of the craft.

Another object is to provide wings or planes as above set forth which may be used in lieu of or supplemental to the ordinary carrying wings or planes now used, and which may be employed in any suitable number for adapting the craft to loads of various sizes and weight.

Vith these and further objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in part be stated, the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as subsequently specified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, of an aeroplane of the common tractor type having the improvement of this invention ap-plied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged perspective view of one end of one of the small planes, showing the tilting tip thereof adjusted at an angle to the body of the plane.

Referring to the drawings, wherein the invention is shown as applied to the common tractor type of biplane, 10 designates the fuselage which may be provided in the usual manner with the superposed planes or wings 11 having the laterally balancing wing flaps or ailerons 12. 'l'he fuselage 1() carries on its rear end the vertical rudder 13 for steering the craft and the elevator flaps 14 at the rear edge of the stabilizer 15. A propeller 16 is mounted upon the forward end of the fuselage, and all of the above described parts are constructed and 'operated in the usual manner.

The fuselage 10 has, in lieu of or supplemental to the usual wings 11, a multiplicity of small wings or planes 17 arranged about the fuselage 10 and in the path of the iiuid current set up by the propeller 16. These wings or planes 17 are not only superposed and spaced apart vertically, but are also preferably arranged in any desired number of groups with the groups spaced apart longitudinally of the craft for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. As illustrating one manner of supporting the planes 17, the drawings show vertically disposed posts or bars 18 which are secured through the usual wings 11 and are spaced from the opposite sides of the fuselage 10. The wings 17 are pivoted on pins 19, intermediate their ends, to the posts or bars 18, and are preferably constructed on the general lines of the main wings 11 with cambered lower faces and with a general fore and aft arching or curvature. The trailing edges of the small planes 17 may be pivotally connected to a shifting bar 2O for maintaining the planes 17 in substantially parallel relation in all angular adjustments of the planes about their respective pivots 19, for the purpose of increasing and decreasing the lifting or carrying capacity of the craft, and for consequently regulating the speed of the same. The connecting bar 20 may be operated in any suitable manner, such as by cords 21 and 22, secured to the bar 20 at spaced apart points intermediate the ends of the bar and being crossed and carried over sheaves 23 mounted upon the adjacent strut 24 located between the superposed wings 11. The ends of the cords 21 and 22 may be carried to the cock pit of the fuselage 10 and there connected to a suitable hand lever, as indicated in dotted lines at 25, in proximity to the pilot for facilitating the control of the planes 17. It is, of course, understood that the planes 17 may be otherwise mounted than pivoted if no adjustment is desired, although the adjustment allows the operator to Vary the angle of the planes with respect to the longitudinal axis of the craft or the line of flight. If it is desired, the main wings or planes 11 may be eliminated, although the same may be used where a more effective balancing is desired.

When the aeroplane is in flight, the current or stream of Huid under pressure of the propeller 16 impinges against the forward group of planes 17 and the latter receive what may be termed as the high pressure lifting force. The stream of air passing between the planes 17 is then impinged upon the second group of planes 17 as shown in Fig. 1 as spaced longitudinally from the first group of planes, and the latter then receive what may be termed as the low pressure lifting force, and the second group of small planes or wings may be termed the low pressure planes. Any desired number of groups may be thus provided for successively receiving impact from the fluid current set up by the propeller, the necessary care being taken not to exhaust the fluid pressure to such extent as to impair the tractor force of the propeller of the craft in general. In the drawings is disclosed separate means for operating each group of planes 17 and the planes may thus be independently controlled in groups at different longitudinal points of the craft for regulating the pitching of the craft in addition to the operation of the usual elevator flaps 14.

Of course, the fuselage 10 may be provided with any suitable landing gear and other commonly used parts for the proper control and operation of the craft. It is,

`of course, understood that the groups of planes 17 may extend any suitable distance beyond the sides of the fuselage 10, and may be of a size other than shown in the present illustration.

In order to stabilize the craft when equipped with the small planes 17, the tips 17 of the planes 1'7 may, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, be movable independently of the body parts of the planes 17 and adjusted into different angles at opposite sides of the craft by the operating of connecting rods 20 for properly balancing the craft. Any suitable or well known means may be employed for operating independently the rods 20', such as above described.

What I claim is 1. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body equipped with substantially horizontal transverse wings, and a propeller at the forward end of the body, of 'longitudinally spaced-apart groups of supplemental planes disposed with the planes superposed in spaced relation in each group, the said supplemental planes having axially pivoted opposite ends lying between the said transverse wings of the body, and means connecting together the pivoted ends independently in each group for simultaneously operating the planes of the respective group and adapted for independently controlling the groups of pivoted ends of the planes of the dilferent groups.

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body equipped with relatively large transversely-extending planes and a propeller mounted upon the body adapted to create fluid pressure between the planes, groups of supplemental planes arranged upon the body and spaced longitudinally thereof, said groups of planes extending transversely of the direction of fluid pressure, said supplemental planes having axially pivoted portions, and means for connecting in independent groups the axially pivoted portions of the plane groups for varying the lifting power of the plane groups relatively to each other.

3. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body provided with a propeller at its forward end and a pair of superposed planes extending transversely across the body, of vertically spaced apart supplemental planes arranged in groups disposed in spaced relation longitudinally of the body and between the transverse planes of the body, said supplemental planes having axially pivoted ends arranged between the trans-l verse planes of the body, and an operating device connected to the pivoted portions of the supplemental planes at each side of the body and for each group of supplemental planes, whereby the pivoted portions of the planes may be independently actuated in groups at opposite sides of the body and in each group of supplemental planes.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination of a body equipped with the usual transverselyextending planes spaced-apart vertically and provided with independently adjustable ailerons, of groups of vertically spaced-apart and transversely-extending supplemental planes arranged between the forward and rear edge portions of said first planes and having parts axially pivoted for operation in conjunction with and independently of said ailerons, and independent operating means connected in predetermined groups to said axially pivoted portions of the supplemental planes for varying the angle of incidence and adapting the aeroplane to loads of different weights.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BUNT HOOD.

Witnesses:

N. K. IIAINns, EsTnLLn KNIGHT. 

